Gah

So I'm out running errands when I swing by a certain Big Name Outdoor Superstore to check out the ammo situation.

Mr. Helpful Sales Guy comes over while I'm trying to work my way through the crowds blocking the shelves.

Mr. Helpful: "Can I help you find something?"

Me: "Yes, thank you, I'm looking for .45 ACP."

Mr. Helpful: "Now are you sure that's the kind of ammunition you're supposed to get?"

Wait for it . . .

Me: "Well, since I carry a full custom build Wilson Combat bobtail Commander 1911, yes, I'm absolutely sure that 200 grain Hornady TAP in .45 ACP is the kind of ammunition I'm looking for."

Idjits.

Yaks

I don't have horses, I have friggin' YAKS.

Yaks from the Black Lagoon.*

Damn January thaw.

* Sorry there aren't any pictures. Camera battery was dead. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be other opportunities to capture the whole disgusting mess for posterity.

Austin Gun Rights Examiner

Another new one, Howard Nemerov is a former civilian disarmament supporter and medical researcher who investigates the civil liberty of self defense and examines the issue of gun control.

Welcome to the blogroll, Austin Gun Rights Examiner.

Browning Firearms Design Meme

Expert Witness starts a meme here using Tam's list of John Moses Browning's achievements.

I think the list I posted here has a few more entries, and I had already bolded the ones I own. Thanks to Xavier, I learned my beloved Ithaca 37's have Browning DNA via the Remington 17, so I added that one.

Even so, I went back and added the "+" signs in case the bold font doesn't show up clearly enough. Enjoy.

Another New Gun Rights Examiner

Welcome to the blogroll, Paul Valone from Charlotte, NC.

Paul is a Second Amendment veteran who directs Grass Roots North Carolina (http://www.grnc.org/) and who regularly impacts local, state and federal gun laws. He will advise gun rights supporters of impending threats. E-mail: FPV@fpaulvalone.com

National Holiday

Well, it SHOULD be.

On this date, January 23, in the year 1855, John Moses Browning was born.

Among his many achievements:

M1895 Colt-Browning machine gun
Colt Model 1897
FN Browning M1899/M1900
Colt Model 1900
Colt Model 1902
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer (.38 ACP)
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless (.32 ACP)
Colt Model 1905, the first .45 ACP
Remington Model 8 (1906), a long recoil semi-automatic rifle
Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket (.25 ACP)
Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless (.380 ACP)
FN Model 1910
+ U.S. Model 1911 pistol
Winchester Model 1885 falling block single shot rifle
Winchester Model 1886 lever-action repeating rifle
Winchester Model 1887 lever-action repeating shotgun
Winchester Model 1890 slide-action repeating rifle (.22)
Winchester Model 1892 lever-action repeating rifle
Winchester Model 1894 lever-action repeating rifle
Winchester Model 1895 lever-action repeating rifle
Winchester Model 1897 pump-action repeating shotgun
+ Remington Model 17 pump-action repeating shotgun (later the Ithaca 37)
Browning Auto-5 long recoil semi-automatic shotgun
U.S. Model 1917 water-cooled machine gun
Model 1919 air-cooled machine gun
Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) of 1917
Browning M2 .50-caliber heavy machine gun of 1921
Remington Model 24 semi-auto rifle (.22) Also produced by Browning Firearms and several others
+ The Browning Hi-Power, completed after his death by Dieudonne Saive
The Browning Superposed over/under shotgun, designed by John Browning in 1922 and entered production in 1931

Among the cartridges he developed:

.25 ACP
.32 ACP
.38 ACP
9mm Browning Long
.380 ACP
.45 ACP
.50 BMG

Among his many patents:

U.S. Patent 220,271 Winchester 1885 single-shot, his first patent
U.S. Patent 306,577 Winchester 1886 and Model 71 lever action rifles
U.S. Patent 336,287 Winchester Model 1887/1901 lever action shotgun
U.S. Patent 385,238 Winchester 1890 pump action rifle
U.S. Patent 441,390 Winchester 1893 and 1897 pump action shotguns
U.S. Patent 465,339 Winchester 1892 lever action rifle
U.S. Patent 524,702 Winchester 1894 lever action rifle
U.S. Patent 544,657 Colt-Browning Model 1895 machine gun
U.S. Patent 549,345 Winchester 1895 lever action rifle
U.S. Patent 580,924 Colt 1900 automatic pistol
U.S. Patent 632,094 Winchester 1900 bolt action single shot .22 rifle
U.S. Patent 659,507 FN/Browning Auto-5 shotgun, also Remington Model 11
U.S. Patent 659,786 Remington Model 8 semi-automatic rifle.
U.S. Patent 678,937 M1917 Browning machine gun
U.S. Patent 747,585 Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless automatic pistol
U.S. Patent 781,765 Stevens 520 pump action shotgun
U.S. Patent 808,003 Colt Model 1905 in .45 ACP (predecessor to the M1911)
U.S. Patent 947,478 FN Model 1906 and Colt 1908 Vest Pocket in .25 ACP
U.S. Patent 984,519 Colt 1911
U.S. Patent 1,065,341 Browning 22 Semi-Auto rifle and Remington model 24
U.S. Patent 1,143,170 Remington Model 17 and Ithaca 37 pump action shotguns
U.S. Patent 1,276,716 Colt Woodsman
U.S. Patent 1,293,022 Browning Automatic Rifle Model of 1918
U.S. Patent 1,424,553 FN "Trombone" pump action .22 caliber repeater (Rare in USA)
U.S. Patent 1,525,065 37 mm automatic cannon
U.S. Patent 1,578,638 Browning Superposed over/under shotgun
U.S. Patent 1,618,510 FN and Browning Hi-Power pistol
U.S. Patent 1,628,226 M2 Browning machine gun in .50 caliber

Praise Be Upon Him.

Gun Rights Examiners

I've added a new section to my sidebar where you can find links to Examiner.com's Gun Rights Examiner columns. Bios are from their respective pages.

So far, they have David Codrea giving a national perspective. David is a long-time gun rights advocate and writer. A featured columnist for Guns Magazine, his articles and his online journal, The War on Guns , defiantly challenge the folly of citizen disarmament.

Kurt Hofmann lives in Illinois but offers his column on behalf of St. Louis. A former paratrooper, he was paralyzed in a car accident in 2002. The helplessness inherent to confinement to a wheelchair prompted him to explore armed self-defense, only to discover that Illinois denies that right, inspiring him to become active in gun rights advocacy. He writes a gun rights blog, called Armed and Safe.

John Longnecker hails from Los Angeles. John was one of the earliest Paramedics in Los Angeles EMS. Today, he is an author, speaker, blogger and frequent talkradio guest on the role of the armed citizen in America. john.ljr@verizon.net

When David Codrea went national, Daniel White took over his spot in Cleveland. Daniel graduated from the University of Hartford majoring in Criminal Justice with minors in Sociology and English. He currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer of Ohioans For Concealed Carry and is a NRA Training Counselor.

All of these folks' writings deserve your daily attention. As (hopefully) more Gun Rights Examiners step up around the country, I will add them to the list.

"Robbers Are Getting Braver"

A local business is robbed at gunpoint. One of the two cousins minding their uncle's store calls 911 during the robbery, but as usual police don't arrive until the criminals are long gone.

The media reports the cousins said "it scares them that robbers are getting braver."

OF COURSE robbers are getting braver! Look at the facts:

• The businesses being robbed do not allow their employees to be armed. Nobody working there will be able to pose any risk to a criminal.

• The businesses being robbed prohibit concealed carry. That ensures no legally armed customers will be present to interfere with criminal activity.

• Over and over, politicians and police officials tell the public to cooperate with criminals, not resist, and not defend themselves. Potential robbery victims are being trained to be easier to rob.

ALL OF THESE THINGS MAKE ROBBERS BRAVER. NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE ANY DISINCENTIVE TO ROBBERS AT ALL.

Kevin Baker, on his Smallest Minority blog, posted a series of essays he calls the "Dangerous Victims Trilogy." I have them linked on my sidebar becauase they are important. In the first installment, Kevin explains why it's most important that all potential victims be as dangerous as they can. In the second, he discusses violence and the social contract. In the third installment, he addresses governments, criminals, and dangerous victims.

The first essay applies most closely to the surface issue here. The way to keep convenience store clerks and customers safe is not to make them as helpless as possible. Robbers aren't afraid of the police. They almost never arrive in time to stop a crime in progress. Robbers aren't afraid of the courts. They have been through that system over and over, only to wind up back on the street to commit more crimes. The only thing robbers fear is somebody with the tools, skills, and will to stop them right now.

I recall a friend describing a brief time when he worked in a liquor store. It was the only one in the area that had never been robbed. The store owner had a policy that anyone working there had to have a gun and carry it openly.

One evening, a carful of young urban males drove past the store repeatedly. Then they stopped for a better look. What they saw was a store clerk wearing a Smith & Wesson .357 K-frame and looking them right in the eye.

They left and never came back.

What saved my friend, and his employer's profits, was that he was a dangerous victim, not a helpless one.

Now every news broadcast reports more armed robberies around here every day. The media acts like it's a good thing when the robbers clean out the cash and whatever else they want and "nobody was hurt."

But from the robbers' perspective, their efforts have been rewarded. A crime has still been successfully committed. The robbers now have money (and in one case where an adult store was robbed, pornographic DVD's) and a strong incentive to do it all again.

Never mind that a business owner has lost hard-earned revenue in a difficult economy. Never mind that an employee has had a terrifying experience and gets to return to work knowing he or she is still little better off than live bait.

At least there seems to be some shame among the overlords. Ever since a convenience store clerk was murdered after she complied with all of the criminals' demands, the pontificating about how being helpless and submissive will keep you safe seems to have decreased.

Kevin's essays delve far more deeply, though, into the greater significance of dangerous victims. Given the current political situation in America today, that significance will need considerable discussion on its own.

Walk And Chew Gum

Now the National Safety Council wants a nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving, to include hands-free devices. They claim talking on a phone impairs a driver equivalent to driving drunk.

Well, hey, why stop there?

Make police pull over and shut off their cruisers to use the radio. And don't even think about those distracting mobile data terminals.

While we're on radios, let's ban all radios and other auditory distractions in cars. Ever follow somebody who's jammin' to their tunes? Death on wheels looking for a place to happen, fershure. And if you allow drivers to sing along with Barry Manilow, it's just that much harder to be sure why those drivers' mouths are moving behind the wheel so they can be properly ticketed.

How about passengers? Talking to a real live person is more distracting than a phone conversation. Let's make it illegal to talk to anyone in a car. Children and pets can be restricted to riding in the trunk.

While you're at it, I'm sure lowering the speed limit to 15 mph on all streets, highways, and interstates will save lots of lives, too.

But we're going off topic here. Let's do the math:

The National Nanny Safety Council points to a study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis that estimates 6% of accidents involve drivers talking on cell phones. They calculate that to mean cell phone use is theoretically involved in 2,600 deaths and 12,000 serious injuries per year.

CTIA-The Wireless Association says there are 270,000,000 cell phone users in the country, and 80% use them while driving. That equals 216,000,000 people who use cell phones while driving.

2,600 deaths divided by 216,000,000 cell-using drivers = 0.00120%

12,000 injuries divided by 216,000,000 cell-using drivers = 0.00556%

And the NSC conveniently ignores a press release from the Harvard School of Public Health that found that a driver's average risk of being killed while using a cell phone is 6.4 in a million per year. That is 80 percent less than the average risk of fatality to a driver with a blood alcohol level of .10%. The risk of a passenger, another motorist, or a pedestrian being killed by a driver using a cell phone is 1.5 in a million per year. That is 92 percent less than the annual risk of being killed by a driver with non-zero blood alcohol content.

The press release goes on to state:

"The authors urge that before government regulates cell phone use by drivers, better quantitative information on risks and benefits should be collected. They recommend immediate educational efforts to curtail multiple sources of driver distraction."

Gee, education before legislation. Learn something. Take responsibility. What a concept.

You know, you might almost get the idea the National Safety Council is taking a page from the gun-banners' playbook where they hysterically screech about all the little chilllldrunnn who are dying every day from gunshots . . .

If Iraq Can Stop Neighborhood Violence, Why Can't We?

From Sensibly Progressive:

If the end result of the people of Iraq having firearms and the will to take charge of their neighborhoods is a safer country and an empowered citizenry that can create its own security, how can we think our fellow American's are not noble enough to accomplish the same? I just wonder ... what would happen if Mayor Daly [sic] and the Chicago police did what the American Army and the local authorities did in Iraq ... use the power of the people to take back the neighborhoods they have lost; the warzones where law abiding citizens fear to tread and where school children die weekly, sometimes while getting on board their school bus. And in doing so returned pride to the people of those communities for solving their own problems rather than waiting for the big white daddy in the mayor's office to take care of them.

But of course, Mayor Daly won't do that. People in power tend to care more about protecting that power than protecting those under them, and the Daly's of the world will continue to fight against the tools of violence and not the violence itself. Because firearms are empowerment, and when you are in charge empowerment is frightening -- it's much better to have disarmed subjects who bleat rather than growl.

Read the whole thing. And welcome to the blogroll, Sensibly Progressive.

The 10 Manliest Firearms

SayUncle links to Crazy Einar's list of the Ten Manliest Firearms.

Let's see how many of them this woman owns:

#10: SMLE - Nope.

#9: Mosin-Nagant M44 - Nope. I think they're taller than I am.

#8: GLOCK - Nope. The grip ergonomics are incompatible with my hands.

#7: Swiss K31 Carbine - Nope.

#6: AK47 - Not yet.

#5: Smith & Wesson Model 29 - Nope, don't do wheelguns at all.

#4: AR15 - You bet!

#3: Remington 870 - Do my Ithaca Model 37 12ga shotguns count?

#2: Colt Model 1911A1 .45 ACP - You bet. Colt and Kimber and Wilson Combat, in fact.

#1: Barrett M82 .50 caliber rifle - Not yet, but depending on how some pending legal action turns out . . .

I guess three out of ten ain't bad considering I have no Y chromosome at all.

Pelosi Reverses Fairness Rules

From the Human Events website:

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to re-write House rules today to ensure that the Republican minority is unable to have any influence on legislation. Pelosi’s proposals are so draconian, and will so polarize the Capitol, that any thought President-elect Obama has of bipartisan cooperation will be rendered impossible before he even takes office."

House Republican leadership is sending the following letter to the House Madam Speaker protesting the changes to House Rules this week that would bar Republicans from offering alternative bills, amendments to Democrat bills ,or even the guarantee of open debate accessible by motions to recommit for any piece of legislation during the entire 111th Congress.

January 5, 2009

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
H-232, U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Madame Speaker,

We hope you and your family had a joyful holiday season, and as we begin a new year and a new Congress, we look forward to working with you, our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and President-elect Obama in tackling the many challenges facing our nation.

President Obama has pledged to lead a government that is open and transparent. With that in mind, we are deeply troubled by media reports indicating that the Democratic leadership is poised to repeal reforms put in place in 1995 that were intended to help restore Americans’ trust and confidence in the People’s House. Specifically, these reports note that the Majority, as part of its rules package governing the new Congress, will end six-year term limits for Committee chairs and further restrict the opportunity for all members to offer alternative legislation. This does not represent change; it is reverting back to the undemocratic one-party rule and backroom deals that the American people rejected more than a decade ago. And it has grave implications for the American people and their freedom, coming at a time when an unprecedented expansion of federal power and spending is being hastily planned by a single party behind closed doors. Republicans will vigorously oppose repealing these reforms if they are brought to a vote on the House floor.

As you know, after Republicans gained the majority in the House in 1995, our chamber adopted rules to limit the terms of all committee chairs to three terms in order to reward new ideas, innovation, and merit rather than the strict longevity that determined chairmanships in the past. This reform was intended to help restore the faith and trust of the American people in their government – a theme central to President-elect Obama’s campaign last year. He promoted a message of “change,” but Madame Speaker, abolishing term limit reform is the opposite of “change.” Instead, it will entrench a handful of Members of the House in positions of permanent power, with little regard for its impact on the American people.

The American people also stand to pay a price if the Majority further shuts down free and open debate on the House floor by refusing to allow all members the opportunity to offer substantive alternatives to important legislation -- the same opportunities that Republicans guaranteed to Democrats as motions to recommit during their 12 years in the Minority. The Majority’s record in the last Congress was the worst in history when it came to having a free and open debate on the issues.

This proposed change also would prevent Members from exposing and offering proposals to eliminate tax increases hidden by the Democratic Majority in larger pieces of legislation. This is not the kind of openness and transparency that President-elect Obama promised. This change would deprive tens of millions of Americans the opportunity to have a voice in the most important policy decisions facing our country.

Madame Speaker, we urge you to reconsider the decision to repeal these reforms, which could come up for a vote as early as tomorrow. Just as a new year brings fresh feelings of optimism and renewal for the American people, so too should a new Congress. Changing the House rules in the manner highlighted by recent media reports would have the opposite effect: further breaching the trust between our nation’s elected representatives and the men and women who send them to Washington to serve their interests and protect their freedom.

Sincerely,

Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), Republican Leader
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Republican Whip
Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Conference Chairman
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.), Policy Committee Chairman
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wyo.), Conference Vice-Chair
Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), Conference Secretary
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), NRCC Chairman
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Chief Deputy Whip
Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), Rules Committee Ranking Republican

UPDATE: Here is a .pdf of the letter with signatures.

So when is the MSM going to publicize this egregious abuse of governmental power?

Cue the chirping crickets . . .

Firearm Safety In America 2007

From the NRA, we have a summary of the true state of firearm safety in America. Some highlights:

• Firearm accident deaths have been decreasing for decades. Since 1930, their annual number has decreased 80%, while the U.S. population has more than doubled and the number of firearms has quintupled. Among children, such deaths have decreased 89% since 1975.

• Firearm accident deaths are at an all-time annual low, while the U.S. population is at an all-time high. Therefore, the firearm accident death rate is at an all-time annual low, 0.2 per 100,000 population, down 94% since the all-time high in 1904.

• Today, the odds are a million to one against a child in the U.S. dying in a firearm accident.

• Firearms are involved in 0.6% of accidental deaths nationally. Most accidental deaths involve, or are due to, motor vehicles (39%), poisoning (18%), falls (16%), suffocation (5%), drowning (2.9%), fires (2.8%), medical mistakes (2.2%), environmental factors (1.2%), and bicycles and tricycles (0.7%). Among children: motor vehicles (45%), suffocation (18%), drowning (14%), fires (9%), bicycles and tricycles (2.4%), falls (2%), poisoning (1.6%),environmental factors (1.5%), and medical mistakes (0.8%).

As usual, the fear-mongering hysterical hyperbole of the Brady Campaign and their cohorts is nothing but bald-faced lies.